however, it's not only in muslim countries that atheists can't fully express themselves. even right here in america, atheists are quietly persecuted. perhaps the best case i could point to is madeline o'hare...who "disappeared" and no one seems to know what happened to her. and, a recent poll among americans showed that over 90% said they would never vote for an atheist for any political office. criminals rated higher in trust than atheists in that poll. if i find the link to that, i'll post it.

remember, in america, we are extremely fortunate to still have civil laws to govern our society. there is a major push among christians to change that and rule america with religious laws instead. in reality, they want to be just like the islamic nations.

it's much easier to control people using laws that are "god's will" than it it civil laws. this is why we always must ensure that religion and government do not mix...at any level...but it appears it's a losing battle.

Last edited by mga on Fri Sep 15, 2006 12:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I always wonder who they poll in those things, because I DO believe in God, but my father is an atheist and he is also one of the most moral people I know! Maybe it is the church I was brought up in and still attend. It is an evangelcal church but the teachings are the bible and that of Jesus who was a pretty loving, forgiving and accepting person when he walked the earth, just as we are suppose to be. As far as I was taught to believe is a choice and not to be forced on someone. I think just like in politics it is the vocal few too far to the left and too far to the right that give both parties a bad name. Most of us fall somewhere in the middle. I personally like the seperation of church and state because there are many religions that I don't accept as being true and I don't want them forced down my throat either. It's just that majority of Americans of faith are still Christian. If another religion becomes prominant in this country I think it will be just as important to keep the seperation of church and state.

In the midst of religious revival, three scholars argue that atheism is smarter.

Atheists "are seen as a threat to the American way of life by a large portion of the American public," according to a study by Penny Edgell, a sociologist at the University of Minnesota.

In a recent NEWSWEEK Poll, Americans said they believed in God by a margin of 92 to 6—only 2 percent answered "don't know"—and only 37 percent said they'd be willing to vote for an atheist for president. (That's down from 49 percent in a 1999 Gallup poll—which also found that more Americans would vote for a homosexual than an atheist.)